Conditions on Mir Stable

Progress M-35 Launched, Spektr Repairs Delayed

Progress M-35, carrying supplies necessary to perform partial repairs on the damaged Spektr Module, was successfully launched at 12:12 a.m Saturday, July 5. It is expected to dock with Space Station Mir at about 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on Monday, July 7. Mir continues to orbit in stable condition as Russian flight controllers are working with Astronaut Michael Foale, Commander Vasiliy Tsibliev and Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin to develop methods for possible repairs to the damaged Spektr Module. Yuri Koptev, head of the Russian Space Agency, said that a special "plate" has been constructed that will house 22 cables that will transmit power from Spektr's solar panel arrays back to the Mir Core Module for battery recharging.

The internal spacewalk planned into the damaged Spektr has been put off for a week (until probably July 17 or 18) so the crew's time can be devoted to finding the cause and repairing the repeatedly malfunctioning gyrodyne system that keeps Mir oriented with its solar panels facing the sun. A device that allows the eleven gyrodynes to "communicate" with each other has been replaced and it is hoped this will prevent recurrence of the problem. Mir's gyrodynes malfunctioned on the evening of July 2 and Mir is maintaining its orientation using thrusters. While annoying, this does not present any risk to the station or crew. There is sufficient fuel to continue until Progress M-35 docks even if the gyrodynes cannot be brought back on-line until then, but the Russian Mir team is confident that they will be repaired. Batteries in the Core Module and in the Kvant-1 module are fully charged; the batteries in Kvant-2 are near a full charge.

Environmental conditions aboard Mir are good, the air conditioners are back on line, air pressure is stable, oxygen levels are nominal and CO2 scrubbing is being handled as normally by the Vosdukh CO2 scrubber supplemented by U.S.-supplied LiOH canisters. The Elektron oxygen generator aboard Kvant-1 is operational but cannot remain on-line continuously. The crew will supplement the oxygen supply by burning lithium perchlorate oxygen-generating candles as needed. It is hoped that the Elektron can be operated for up to 10 hours daily; longer operations are not recommended because the orientation of Mir that is most efficient for the generation of solar elextricity causes overheating in Kvant-1's docking node. When Progress M-35 docks with Mir this will no longer be a problem.

The Antares satellite receiver delivered by Atlantis aboard STS-84 was successfully installed Monday and, following installation of a second unit shipped to Mir aboard Progress M-35, this should restore full communications via Russia's Altair data relay satellites.

On Wednesday, June 25, at 5:18 a.m. EDT,Progress M-34 crashed into the Mir Space Station Spektr Module during a test of the TORU, a newly installed Progress guidance system. The Spektr module, which houses many U.S. experiments and all of American astronaut Michael Foale's personal effects, sprung a leak and had to be sealed off completely with its power shut down.

When the Spektr was punctured, air pressure in the Mir complex dropped from its normal 750 mm Hg down to 675 mm Hg. It has now risen back to 692 mm Hg (nominal range: 660-850 mm Hg) and has stabilized.

Spektr is the primary electricity generating module for the entire Mir complex. It is estimated by American sources that the loss of power to the overall Mir complex currently is in the neighborhood of 50%. The internal spacewalk to attempt repairs to Spektr is being planned for around 9:00 p.m. EDT July 11; if the crew is not yet ready by then, it will be put off until the evening of July 14.

Progress M-34 has now been de-orbited and has burned up in the atmosphere. The Progress M-34 resupply vessel, which was launched on April 6, 1997 and had delivered (along with other cargo) the parts used to repair the malfunctioning Elektron oxygen generator, was at the time of the collision loaded with garbage and was only being used to test the new docking equipment before being jettisoned on Saturday to burn up in the atmosphere.